Rodney---I also, like Elsie,Barry Finn, LaMarca & several others wish this forum were more restricted...simply as a pratical matter...you can't be all things to all people.(And Max, the owner, has just posted a reply in another thread which says that there is enough traffic at the site sometimes that access has slowed)
Rather than have it seem snobby and 'restricted', I would like this site to simply be considered a nice, friendly place to come when you have research or questions about the stated purpose--folk/blues/traditional music.We really need similar sites for other areas of interest run by someone who really knows the other needs better...and some people, like Joe Offer, and you, Rodney, would happily visit those sites as well as this one-- where you would find it even easier to find what you need. And the various sites could refer people back & forth in a cooperative way. I expect that it will happen someday...the WWW is still pretty new. I wouldn't even be surprised if Max & Dick G. would provide some advise & tech help to someone who wanted to form a sister forum to this.
Everyone really knows there ARE different types of music, even if the 'definitions' are tricky to pin down, and there is an obvious need for those who have narrow interests to have a place to go without being overwhelmed by the stuff they have no immediate interest in. I do hope we can achieve this without TOO many hard feelings and awkward discussions....